What Did They Say About Justin Bieber’s Racist Joke Scandal

Celebrities and public figures are reacting to headlines surrounding Justin Bieber and older videos showing the young JB using the N word and other racial slurs. The two video were reportedly filmed when he was was 14 & 15 year old.

Justin apologized and said in a statement:

I’m very sorry. I take all my friendships with people of all cultures very seriously and I apologize for offending or hurting anyone with my childish and inexcusable behavior.

Not only have Usher, 50 Cent and JB’s team stood up for him, but longtime rival Drake Bell has too! Checkout what they had to say:

Usher:
At my core, I am a person that supports growth and understands without judgment, that growth often comes as a result of pain and continues effort. As I have watched Justin Bieber navigate difficult waters as a young man, I can tell you that he hasn’t always chosen the path of his greatest potential, but he is unequivocally not a racist.

What he was 5 years ago was a naïve child who did not understand the negative power and degradation that comes from playing with racial slurs. What he is now is a young man faced with an opportunity to become his best self, an example to the millions of kids that follow him to not make the same mistakes.

Don Lemon (CNN Anchor):
Some are saying Bieber is racist. Is he? I don’t know. But I do know that this is the danger of the proliferation of the use of the n-word. Clearly Justin Bieber, a young man who by the way, has immersed himself in black, Hip Hop culture should not be saying the n-word. So the question is, if you want people like Justin Bieber to stop using it and to stop making excuses for using it, shouldn’t you do the same?

50 cent:
I don’t think he’s racist. I don’t think even he knows who he is at this point — he’s so young. When you see people become huge stars real early, it’s tough for them. You have to grow up with all these expectations. I think Justin’s still a baby and he’s lost.

Scooter Braun:
Some mistakes have no excuses. They are just wrong. But how a man reacts to those mistakes… How he owns it and learns from it… That defines him more than the mistake itself.

Kenny Hamilton:
What I do know whole heartedly is Justin Bieber is not prejudice nor is he racist. He wasn’t raised that way and his family isn’t either. Yes he said some bad jokes and I know if he could he would take back what was said. He’s grown a lot in 5 years and as we all grow we learn.
He will always be criticized and judged every day of his life by people who only know him because of blogs or the press. That won’t change.

As a black man I am telling the world that Justin Bieber is not a racist. I have known him since he was 12 years old and I know his heart.

Whoopi Goldberg:
Black Canadians and Black Americans are two separate groups of people. And how do I know this? Well, I did a movie last year, in Canada. And a young, wonderful Canadian woman wrote it, and I’m reading it and I’m thinking, “We wouldn’t say anything like this.” So I went to the director and I said, what is this? And he said, oh, she lives here. And I said so she doesn’t know anything, she doesn’t get what we’re talking about.

What I’m saying is that, when you are 15 and you’re someplace where that’s not a word that you have associated with people of color … they weren’t calling them that.

I was saying the N word is not something that lived in Canada the way it lived here (in US), part of American history.

Al Sharpton (Civil rights activist):
Here you have a situation that has really put a black eye in his career because he felt obviously that he could joke with someone, or say something that others couldn’t say. This is inexcusable, and it’s unfortunate.

We’ve got to stop using this word, black, white, young or old, nobody gets a pass on this, and I would hope Justin Bieber uses this as a teaching moment.

CeeLo Green:
Being a kid is no excuse, because that means that racism is being taught to you, so we don’t condone racism nor do we act out of anything of the sort.

Aisha Tyler (“The Talk” co-host):
It is disappointing he was so young. You think maybe an older generation still feels that way, but young people coming up, especially that he is Usher’s protégé, it was shocking to me. The first time with the joke, I thought ‘Okay, he’ s young, it was a dumb mistake.’ Now this new video with the song and stuff, he’s going to have to do something really extraordinary to come back from this. I mean make a full apology in person on camera and then maybe give money to charity. He’s got to do more.

Mack Maine (Rapper):
Justin Bieber does not have a slave mentality. He treats his people with respect. He has legitimately adopted the culture of the hip hop, African American culture.

I remember telling a white man, Chinese man, Black man joke as a kid that was terrible and I told it to my friends because I thought they’d think it was funny.

Elvis Duran:
I really think it’s a good time for Justin — as a very talented artist, which we’re totally forgetting about — it’s time for him to go away for a while. He needs to just disappear, grow up some, love life, learn how to be a guy and be a man, and come back and put an album out and it’ll be number one.

My theory about Justin in that there’s something awful being written about him every week – it’s to the point where I don’t even think people hear it anymore. As awful as these tapes are, I think people are saying, “Oh, well, no surprise there,” because there’s so much negative there about Justin.

Wow I jst wish they would stuf up and leave him alone and let him live his life I mean come on it was five years ago!!! Get over it gosh

Lailani9/06/2014 | 11:32

They need to get over it. It’s not that big of a deal.

Lailani9/06/2014 | 11:33

Uh other celebs have said worst things before. The talk are the dumbest idiots ever

Lailani9/06/2014 | 11:34

I do love how his boys always has his back. And will Always defend him no matter what

Lailani9/06/2014 | 10:43

Aisha has to be the dumbest person ever. She’s not even that smart. Like she knows Justin personally. She should STFU.

Lailani9/06/2014 | 10:45

Why the hell would Justin do that. Aisha is a idiot. So is Cee Lo.

Lailani9/06/2014 | 10:46

They seriously need to get over it. They need to GTFO

Lailani9/06/2014 | 10:46

At least Justin has boys to back him up.

Lailani9/06/2014 | 10:47

I love Justin. He’s so adorable

Lailani9/06/2014 | 10:48

I feel bad for Justin. Just hope everything blows over with him. And freaking media talks about something new

violetta9/06/2014 | 11:09

“I mean make a full apology in person on camera and then maybe give money to charity. He’s got to do more” even if justin does that, no ones going to be pleased with it. He gets judged for every thing he does, good and bad. At this point really nothin is going to fix his image, even if he does “go away” which he can’t because he has numerous number of fans that won’t let him gonaway

Birk10/06/2014 | 8:20

I agree making a public apology will do nothing but make some people think he is only doing it for P.R.. What he should do is work with an anti-racism organization that battles racism and target other youth to change their ways like he did.. That would be the best thing in my opinion.. But people need to come to their senses and realize that he is not that same 14 yr old teenage boy who made those comments and has since then changed for the better and regrets what he said at the time because he is no longer that same kid.

Lailani9/06/2014 | 11:31

Seriously why the F would he give money to charity cause he said one bad thing when he was young.

Princess10/06/2014 | 12:00

She is just comparing that ths thng has caused so much unwanted damage to him that to recover it he need to do more than charity . And I agree with her I knw what happened was highly immature and sad but some people r putting him in hot water .morever I lv the comment of cnn host specially last line … And agree with elvis, there r lot of unneeded negativity that people r not bothered about who is he in actuall life . I hope he recovered from it soon … Look around what world is saying about him then u see they r reacting in true manner except idiots like bell.

Hannah Bieber10/06/2014 | 12:02

Ok first of all Justin has donated a lot to charities and hes working on a new album so elvis and aisha are both wrong and I agree with cee lo. But I dont get why people are worrying about Justin then all these young little children who are already cussing, smoking, and talking about sex. Society really is cruel

ALEKSANDER10/06/2014 | 1:05

Justin! Keep yourself ! Polish Beliebers support you !

Bieber Fever10/06/2014 | 4:42

Everybody can say the N word Justin Bieber sad it BAM drama like stfu get ovrr it it was freakin 5years ago! Grow up do something better in your life than talking crap about someone. He is a good person he did some bad things buthes still young everyone makes mistakes GET OVER IT YOU STUPID HATERS!!!

sandra10/06/2014 | 6:54

Drake didn’t defend him. This tweet was said in a sarcasric way. He hates Justin.

Birk10/06/2014 | 8:16

O.K… I think most people know that Drake Bell has never supported Justin at all, and continues to attack him publicly.. I disagree that racism is not always the product of what they learn at home.. Because even some kids can fall into a wrong crowd and do things that they were taught better not to do.. Justin has already stated that he was not raised like that, and has taken the responsibility and blame on to himself.. You don’t hear him blaming anyone else.. I think it was a case of a kid who was around others who egged him on, maybe those other kids he was around with at the time, including his girlfriend at the time were racist? But you can’t hold over his head for all eternity what he said when he was only 14, now that he is a young adult who has changed for the better and realizes now that what he said was wrong.

Lailani10/06/2014 | 9:13

Drake has to be the dumbest idiot ever

Bieber199410/06/2014 | 12:51

I know that justin didn’t mean to say those things he’s NOT racist so many people have said worse but just because he is “Justin Bieber” he gets much more chritasisam he was younger then he thought it was funny but one thing for sure is that he is not racist most of his friends are a different color so don’t say that he’s racist.

Bieber199410/06/2014 | 12:56

I’m not saying it was right for him to say those things but cut him some slak he is older and he knows better now and he knows that wasn’t right. I am and always will be a belieber no matter what this dosn’t change the fact that he has great music or that he is very talented at all everyone makes mistake he’s not the only person that does so just stop and leave him alone.

Heather10/06/2014 | 2:00

When I see people sticking up for him it make me wanna change my mind.

Catrin11/06/2014 | 12:12

I think anyone who uses the excuse that they were young shouldn’t say that because when I was 15 I knew better than to say that word my niece is 15 and she would never say it but hopefully we can judge Justin by the fact that he has black friends but please he wasn’t too young to know better

Sahil11/06/2014 | 3:05

If Black people want White people to stop usin the N word then they THEMSELVES should also stop using it.. #NoOffence